Choices in Breast Augmentation

Category: Breast Augmentation Gallery

If you’ve decided to make the first steps towards your breast augmentation consultation, then you’re not alone. Breast augmentation is consistently the number one plastic surgery procedure from year to year, and many women recognize that this procedure can produce confidence-boosting results. At your consultation, there are a few things you should be ready to discuss and consider with your plastic surgeon.

What Type of Implant Do I Want?

Despite the wide selection of implants that are now on the market, the choice generally remains pretty simple— implants are generally either saline-filled or silicone-filled. These each have different pros and cons, and other questions like your placement, size, or preferred profile might sway your decision one way or another. Your plastic surgeon can help you determine this, as well as what size will get you the best balance between projection and comfort. Other factors to consider can include the shape of the implant (round or pear-shaped) and surface of the implant (smooth or textured). If it seems overwhelming, your plastic surgeon can guide you to the right type if you have a strong sense of what you want your results to look and feel like.

Where Do I Want Them?

This might seem like a strange question but implants can be placed differently within the breast area for different results. Generally, the implants can be placed on top of the pectoral muscle (but within the pocket of breast tissue) or be placed underneath the pectoral muscle. Where the implant sits on the chest wall will affect the contour and shape of the breast, and your recovery. Your plastic surgeon will make a recommendation on placement based on your implant type and personal anatomy.

How Do I Want Them Placed?

The most common incision for silicone implants is the Inframmary incision (below the breast fold). Depending on your wishes, anatomy, size of the implant and whether you’re undergoing an additional procedure at the same time, other incisions may be used, such as periareolar, breast lift incisions and axillary (armpit) incisions. Your plastic surgeon can take into account all these factors when making this decision.

It can seem overwhelming when trying to navigate the wealth of information available on breast augmentation, but the best person to speak to about your questions is your plastic surgeon who can guide your decision-making process. Your consultation can take some time as you discuss these options and what they mean, but these are important decisions. Contact Allegany Plastic Surgery to begin planning your breast augmentation with Dr. Carpenter, who is a board certified plastic surgeon with many years of experience performing breast augmentations.

It’s likely that you know someone who has undergone a surgical breast reduction, because it is one of the most popular breast procedures. Here are some signs and symptoms that your body may be telling you that you are a candidate for breast reduction.

You Have Back or Neck Pain

This is one of the most common things that breast reduction patients talk about when consulting about their procedure. Overly-large breasts can be very heavy and put stress on important areas of the spine and torso muscles. Because the body needs to correct its posture and compensate for the weight of the breasts, the spine and neck can become strained over the course of a lifetime. Although this can have many different causes, don’t rule out that it may be your large breasts causing you pain.

You Experience Rashes or Excessive Sweating

Large breasts can tend to extend far below the inframammary fold because of their size and weight, and this can cause many problems. The foremost one is that this constant skin-on-skin contact can cause sweat to build up, resulting in rash or irritation, especially when wearing certain types of bras. Bra straps can also be responsible for irritation or chafing at the shoulders, where much of the support falls.

You Struggle to Find Fitting Clothes

One easy indicator is that most clothing sizes don’t accommodate overly-large breasts, and you may struggle to find enough room for your bust when looking at shirts or dresses. Bra sizes may also be too small, leading you to look for specialty brands or stores. Unfortunately, this can become costly compared to more mainstream sizes.

You’re Physically Limited

Many women with overly-large breasts find at some point that they are unable to play certain sports or perform certain workouts because even a sports bra doesn’t prevent discomfort or pain from excessive movement. Even mundane activities can cause this, like going up the stairs or lifting. This can obviously have a negative impact on your long-term health and shouldn’t be discounted!

If you feel that you’re experiencing one or more of these factors, you should speak with a board certified plastic surgeon about how you can improve your quality of life with a breast reduction. Contact Allegany Plastic Surgery to meet with Dr. Carpenter who can discuss your options and create your unique treatment plan.

Have you noticed pesky veins popping up along your legs? Both spider and varicose veins are often caused by genetics, which means there is not much you can do to prevent them. However, there are ways that they can be treated. If you are ready to wear shorts and dresses with confidence all year long, Allegany Vein Clinic can help! At our vein clinic, we offer a wide selection of vein treatments to eliminate spider and varicose veins.

Spider Vein Treatment

Spider veins are small red or blue veins that can spread across the legs, ankles, and even the face. At our practice, we can treat spider veins with laser or sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy involves injecting the vein with medicine that dissolves the vein away. Laser treatments can cause veins to die off and disappear.

Varicose Vein Treatment

Varicose veins are found in the legs or ankles and have a bulging appearance. These veins often cause itching, pain, and a feeling of heaviness. At our vein clinic, we treat varicose veins with sclerotherapy, endovenous laser treatment, or ambulatory phlebectomy. Endovenous laser treatment causes veins to close, and eventually disappear. Ambulatory phlebectomy is a procedure that involves removing the vein through small incisions.

Schedule a Consultation!

The first step towards youthful looking legs is to schedule a consultation. During your consultation, Dr. Carpenter will examine your spider or varicose veins, and determine which treatment process is right for your individual case. Then, treatment can be scheduled for youthful looking legs in no time! If you are ready to take the first step towards youthful looking legs, the Vein Clinic of Allegany Plastic Surgery can help. Patients in the Cumberland area can call 301-338-8519 today to schedule their initial consultation.

Do you have a double chin? If so, you’re not alone! Many adults suffer from a double chin, also known as submental fullness, despite living healthy lifestyles. While weight gain can cause submental fullness, it can also be caused by aging and genetics, which means it will stick around no matter how many miles you run. If you are unhappy with the appearance of your double chin, but don’t want to undergo invasive surgery, Kybella may be the answer.

What is Kybella?

Kybella is a nonsurgical way to eliminate submental fat. This injectable treatment contains synthetic deoxycholic acid, which naturally occurs in the body to break down and absorb fat. When Kybella is injected into a double chin, fat cells are destroyed and can no longer store fat, meaning long-lasting results. During your Kybella treatment in Cumberland, one of our nurse injectors will apply a topical anesthetic to the treatment area. This will ensure that you are comfortable during treatment. Then, Kybella will be administered in multiple small injections. The number of injections will depend on the amount of submental fat you would like to eliminate. One treatment session usually takes only 15-20 minutes to complete.

Get Started Today

Are you ready to start your journey towards a slimmer chin profile, and a boost in confidence? Imagine not having to avoid pictures, being able to wear whatever clothing you want, and loving your reflection! Contact Allegany Plastic Surgery today to schedule your initial consultation today! For more information, visit our blog page!

After a long summer in the sun, your skin will often show some signs of wear or damage. Now that the weather is growing cooler and your time in the sun will be reduced, this is the perfect time to consider chemical peels to help you achieve a clearer, more youthful complexion.

Chemical Peels

Here at Allegany Plastic Surgery, we offer two types of chemical peels: ZO 3-Step Peel and the controlled depth chemical. Chemical peels are great for the reversing of skin aging and sun damage. The acids in the chemical peels increase cell turnover in the skin, revealing a fresher complexion.

ZO 3-Step Peel

This peel is a simple peel that can be used for unwanted pigmentation and minor skin aging. This peel may be perfect for the younger patient or someone with a more sensitive skin type. Like most peels, your skin care practitioner will be able to customize your treatment to your skin by adjusting the application time before the solution is neutralized.

Controlled Depth Chemical Peel

The Controlled Depth Chemical Peel is medium depth peel that addresses both the epidermis and dermis. This peel is more advanced in comparison to superficial peels that do not penetrate any deeper than the epidermis. This type of peel is better for the more dramatic signs of aging due to its potential for a deeper reach. If you are interested in learning more about chemical peels and which one might be best for your skin, contact our skin care experts at Allegany Plastic Surgery!